


Running Through My Mind

by orphan_account



Series: snktober 2020 [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Sports, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Rival Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26799733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "You probably spend more time looking at Eren than you do at the race course."--snktober 2020 day three: sports au
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager
Series: snktober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946416
Comments: 2
Kudos: 106
Collections: SNKTOBER Month 2020





	Running Through My Mind

This was officially their fourth year of racing each other in cross country, and Armin still hadn’t gotten over his ridiculously huge crush on Eren.

Jean, Armin’s fellow teammate, teased him relentlessly. 

“You probably spend more time looking at Eren than you do at the race course,” Jean had said to him once as they rode the bus home from a late-night meet.

At that particular race they had been leaving, Armin had managed to set a PR of fifteen minutes flat because Eren’s back muscles, rippling and prominent and far more appealing than they had any right to be, had distracted him from the excruciating pain of running over hills, so he had no grounds to protest.

Armin definitely had it bad.

To be fair, though, Eren had also mastered the art of steadily becoming more attractive with each and every year. 

Eren had been youthful and vibrant in freshman year, wearing his forest green uniform (with the impossibly thin racerback and tiny running shorts), grinning cheekily at Armin as they raced, neck and neck, pacing each other near the front of the group. 

At that first race, while Armin had been getting water, Eren had walked up to him and extended a confident hand. 

“Hi, I’m Eren Jaeger,” he had said, beaming from ear to ear. “Why don’t we keep each other on pace at each race?”

Armin had nearly fainted the moment his palm made contact with Eren’s.

Now, at the last race of his entire high school career, Armin knew this was probably the last time he was going to see Eren. He should’ve been more worried about winning the league; he was the top runner in his respective team, as was Eren. 

Instead, he was more focused on the curve of Eren’s calves as he stretched.

Looking at Eren straightening up to tie his shoulder-length hair up in a messy bun, Armin’s legs felt like jelly—which was, definitively, not something he wanted to happen right as they were getting ready to line up for the varsity boys’ race.

Catching his eye, Eren flashed him a bright smile, cheeks flushed from the warm-up laps they had all taken. 

“I’m definitely going to beat you today,” Eren declared, holding his arm out for a fist-bump. 

Armin’s flustered stare quickly morphed into an amused grin. “Nice to know that it's opposite day for you,” he said, returning the fist-bump.

Eren snorted. “With jokes that lame, you’re definitely going to be eating dust.”

Armin never got the chance to reply, as the whistle sounded for all the runners to take their places. Eren flashed him a thumbs up before settling back in line with his team. 

Taking deep breaths to steel himself, Armin got into position, keeping his gaze trained steadfastly in front of him. Eren had already won his heart; how embarrassing would it be if he won the race, too?

_ Bang. _

They were off, sprinting rapidly to get to the front of the pack before settling into a more even pace. The wind whipped around their bodies, and the grass was crushed beneath their feet, each boy giving their all, elbows clashing and breaths hanging heavy in the air.

Armin turned all thoughts off, simply enjoying the burning in his legs and lungs, the comforting and competitive presence of Eren at his side. 

The race course was especially nice for the finals, mostly fields of soft grass and hills that were shaded by luscious trees. Rushing down the hills made Armin feel invincible, unstoppable; there was no better sensation than hearing his and Eren’s footsteps thudding against the ground, synchronized in a tuneless rhythm, as he and his rival-turned-crush raced for the title of number one.

The two of them were alone in their own world, separated from the rest of the runners, their hearts surging together, fighting, striving, struggling toward their shared goal.

Soon enough, the finish line came into view. Armin glanced over at Eren; the other boy was already looking back. They couldn’t waste any breath talking, but understanding passed between them; their pace sped up, both pouring the last of their strength into the final fifty meters.

Armin could hear Coach Erwin yelling encouragement at him, louder than all the parents and spectators that had gathered at the sides. 

Forty. Thirty. Twenty. Ten.

The finish line was right there, right there in front of him, but Eren was also right there, right there next to him. Armin’s legs ached, cried, screamed, but he had to push more, kick harder, get there faster—

“In first place, we have Eren Jaeger from Shiganshina!”

Armin skidded to a halt and bent over, palms on his knees, panting.

“And in second place, just one second behind, we have Armin Arlert from Oceanview!”

Straightening himself up, Armin looked around for Eren, who he was surprised to find right next to him.

“Eren, congratulations!” Armin was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face, but his smile rivaled the sun. “Can’t believe you beat me by one second, gosh, I—”

Armin was cut off by Eren’s lips on his.

The kiss lasted scarcely a second before Eren was pulling back, heaving, taking great gulps of air and wiping sweat hastily off his brow. He chuckled awkwardly, still flushed, and said, “Sorry, uh, I just… well, I—”

Before Eren could speak any further, Armin surged forward and wrapped his arms around Eren’s neck, kissing him senseless. Eager hands settled themselves on the bony curves of Armin’s hips.

Time stood still. There was nothing that existed aside from Armin and Eren and the nonexistent space between their bodies.

A whistle pierced through the air, and the sounds of the screaming crowd came crashing into focus. “Excuse me, can you both  _ please _ get away from the finish line?” The referee looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there; he was probably the type to tell teenagers to “get off his lawn” on weekends for fun.

Eren threw his head back and laughed, then returned to tuck some strands of Armin’s bangs behind his ears. “Why don’t we go celebrate somewhere else?”


End file.
